Big Boy BBQ

Great big serve of real BBQ, love the onion strings, and the pulled pork and beef. Vinegar sauce is really great to dip in as well.

As an American I can unequivocally say this is not American BBQ. Meat should be so tender it melts in your mouth, and there should be so much of it that you can make another sandwich from it. Sauce should be served on the side, not on the meat and sauce should be sweet not spicy hot. Staff and people there were incredible nice and attentive.

American BBQ is not easy to master although many have tried. Big Boy does a great job of capturing the flavour and essence of the southern states.
The restaurant is unassuming, tucked into Hardware Lane along the less crowded side. With casual décor, you can eat and get your hands dirty without feeling guilty, as good barbie should be.
Unfortunately, I came very close to closing time so all that was available were their ribs and chips. Both did not disappoint. Big, hearty ribs with a tasty BBQ sauce and chips had seasoning that paired perfectly. There were several kinds of sauces on the table to spice it up or sweeten as you choose.
The menu was vast and I would like to return to try one of their sandwiches, perhaps something with pulled pork. This is a great place if you just want some good food without all the frills. Thumbs up from this American! :)

All meaty everything, from buffalo wings, pulled pork burgers and ribs to onion rings, fries and coleslaw. If you want to know what americn bbq is all about then this is your place. I enjoyed the ribs which is my all time favourite

We totally walked into this by accident, my initial plan was to grab something quick and healthy while running some errands in the city… then I got hangry and Big Boy BBQ literally fell in front of me.
Definitely in two minds about this cos while I was eating the ribs and wings, it was awesome and I was in heaven, but I also wish I had that healthy salad. Not really. Maybe.
The flavours of the rub and marinade on the ribs and wings took me right back to ‘Murica, the only thing I could flaw would be that the ribs maybe weren’t tender and juicy enough to fall off the bone. But otherwise top notch.
Diet tomorrow. Or the day after.

Tasty, no frills slow cooked meat with tasty sides. Not the best quality you’ll find but hard to beat for the price. We didn’t try the sandwiches, and stuck to the meat platter. A very generous serve. BYO beer and wine is very convenient and makes for a very affordable, delicious night out!

Not often you sit around Hardware Lane eating and drinking for hours and walk away calling it a cheap night out.
We had the sounds-​odd-​when-​you-​order-​it ‘Little Boy’ feed, which comprised of pulled lamb shoulder, saucy beef brisket and 1⁄2 rack of lamb ribs with two sides. Lamb and beef were both good, as were the ribs (even if the ribs sticky sauce got a bit much after a few).
Not the greatest American BBQ around, but pretty darn good for the price, and with a gold coin corkage per person you can BYO beers or wine and have yourself a pretty good time.

Not bad for Melbourne but not the real deal. The ribs appeared to have been done in an oven and may have been boiled (not ideal) before that. The pulled pork was ok and better than the ribs. The meats could definitely use some time on a real smoker or wood-​fired bbq grill. Slaw was pretty good but the pickles were like no pickles I’ve had before. Dill pickles in a bbq place are supposed to be whole, crunchy, spicy… not sliced pickles from a jar.

Really had high expectations after reading other reviews and looking at the photos of the food. We had the brisket roll with s side of onion rings and fries. The brisket tasted like it had been standing for awhile. It did not have the expected smoky flavour and their bbq sauce was on the sweet side. The fries were nothing to write home about.
The novelty is good. However the food does not live up to the hype.

I went here because I was excited to be reunited with the BBQ of the south. I was pretty disappointed.
To start, it felt as if I had walked into a janitor’s office that happened to be fitted out with its own kitchen. I get that part of the appeal of all things America is the oversized nature, but that doesn’t mean that they eat and behave like pigs. Which is what the plastic everything, and kitchen paper towels as napkins…
On to the food, all of the serving options are huge (which is fine) but all of the BBQ that we tried was fairly average, overly seasoned (and it felt incorrectly). It was just terrible BBQ in disguise.

Drool.
This is what we had:
WINGS ‘N RIBS FEEDS 1 — 2
Regular wings and ½ rack of ribs with 2 regular sides $ 35.00 (Onion Rings and Chilli)
Pork ribs add $ 4.00
Saucy beef brisket $ 13.90
For two very hungry people, this was super filling! What a good addition to the minimal American bbq selection available in Melbourne. Big Boy’s did not disappoint and I must say I would go back here.
Favourite: The ribs fell off the bone and the beef brisket was very juicy. Also you can purchase a bottomless soda cup.
What I wouldn’t get again: The Chilli. I felt that I have had better chilli as it was a bit dry.

The Big Boy BBQ really stands out to its name. I mean, after almost eating nothing for eighteen hours that nothing else could do. So I came here and politely requested that something should be given that is going to be enough for two seriously hungry people.
Somehow their menu is suggesting that a platter of «Big Boy» feed 1 – 6 people. I don’t know about one person because the four of us were hardly managing to finish it.
If you suffer from burn’t, dry, and are uncomfortable with meeting all those people whom you’re hopeless about making a connection or finding any similar interests. This place makes amazing barbecue, maybe even the best barbecue you’v ever had.
This guys have got you covered.
Amazing burgers.
They also have amazing chips and who does not want bottomless soda cups.

I’ve only recently discovered American style BBQ in the last few years and have fallen for it hard. A friend works in the city and told me about Big Boy BBQ, so we went there for dinner.
We ordered the Big Boy meal ($ 99) which feeds up to six (there were four of us) it had «Saucy beef brisket, pulled pork scotch fillet, pulled lamb shoulder, beef pastrami, ½ rack of pork ribs, ½ rack of lamb ribs, regular wings and 3 jumbo sides» and god dam it was delicious and filling.
All four of us went back for seconds and thirds and ate until we were stuffed and lucky me got the left overs which I had later that night and were a small meal in itself. $ 25 each isn’t bad for the amount of food you get and it tastes great, plus it isn’t something that you can really make at home.
I loved all the cuts of meat with only pastrami not blowing me away. We got the chips (delicious), onion strings (would prefer onion rings) and the chili which was great.
I will be back to try a sandwich next time, if the quality stays the same over time I’d give it five stars.

+10 for the big servings!!! You will get full that’s for damn sure!
–10 for food going cold far too quickly. Which implies that a lot of their meats are cooked well before they are ordered. This is passable with the smoked meats but certainly not the ribs — you can fire those up in little time on a hot grill. The flavor of the meat was ok. Their sweet house made BBQ sauce is pretty good — although nothing spectacular — its still better than your average supermarket bought squirter. I think the dry rub on some of the meats was a little under seasoned — lacking that POP for a BBQ ya know — so i found myself saucing everything up with extra hot BBQ sauce — not that hot at all.
+10 for sides! I have absolutely no complaints with the sides, except that i wish i had more room in my stomach. Onion Rings, Chips, Burnt Ends and Beans, Slaw are all winners!!! The sides really saved this place from a bad culinary review! They have that quality you expect from a diner style restaurant. Super crispy starches that all well seasoned and cut!!! They were all packed with flavor! And they call a side what i would call a «main size»
+10 for unlimited refills at the soda fountain. Dont know about y’all but i just love me some sweet soda with my BBQ — they also have a good selection of American soda’s avaialble, although a bit expensive, they are there if you want them — beer and cider drinkers aren’t forgotten either. Any BBQ joints knows they need a good selection of carbonated beverages to encourage digestion!
+10 for Service — nice people work here — you have to get of your ass and order at the register though!
+10 for Ambiance — this is the place you bring your «buddies» or your «mates» — ya know «the boys» dont come here for the first or romantic date. Diner style décor and seating — but no booths — and a giant flat screen playing sports — of course (it does say Boys on the front door Girls! :-p)
+10 for Price — I spent $ 40 dollars for huge amount of food (most of which was meat) and drinks. And i still really wanted to try that peanut butter ganache pie — but seriously i would have taken one bite and exploded.
OVERALL: I wouldn’t come back to BIg Boy for their BBQ! I’ve had better cooked slabs of meet elsewhere in melbourne. But i will come here again if it was just to catch up with the boys and get fat and drunk!

Slow cooked tender beef brisket in a brioche bun with smoked cheese
and crunchy onion sticks/​straws. This makes a good qaulity,
sandwich/​burger combination with aforementioned ingredients
and a decent helping of good qaulity beef. The Zee-​man, is very popular
and little wonder why. Spiced fries are great too. Haven’t ventured
out yet onto other items, though temptation for the 2 meat looms.
One of the places you don’t get hassled in hardware lane
by super annoying idiots out the front.

The best BBQ I have had in Australia.
A small store that was empty when I entered. When I asked to eat in they looked around, scratched there head and said I will have to check first. They came back and said to take the table behind me. Very strange as the store was empty from the time I entered until I left an hour later.
After this I ordered the Z Man, a burger with brisket, cheese, onion strings and BBQ sauce. It was a very delicious burger.
I then ordered half a rack of pork ribs with sticky sauce (they also do dry rub) which were good but not amazing.
Overall the food was good although a little pricey. $ 29 for half a rack of pork ribs. And $ 12 for the Z Man burger.
So the food was good but I wouldn’t rush back due to the prices.

If you love meat, this is the place for you. We had the little boy platter to share between two (recommended for two or three), which contained three meats and two sides. Had the onion fries and the beef beans. All were cooked to perfection but I’d recommend getting a salad as one of the sides for a bit of freshness.
The many different types of BBQ sauce are great however I didn’t notice a huge difference between them all.
All in all, worth a visit especially after a few drinks!

First of all, this place is perfect after a few drinks– any night of the week
Big boy bbq celebrates slow smoked, delicious saucy meats, often sandwiched between bread.
I began at the top of the menu on opening day, with a pulled pork sandwich and have progressed, without shame through the whole menu, every item has been delicious.
My personal favorite is the Zee Man, BBQ brisket, sauce (of course!), onion strings, and smoked cheese served in a soft bun. Word on the street is a new special is on the way where the brisket in the Zee Man is replaced with meat from another delicious item on the menu — the ribs.
The combos come with a side (think chilli with brisket burnt ends, onion strings or coleslaw) and a bottomless soft drink. I’m a fan of the sierra Nevada to wash it all down though.
I have never left hungry. A great addition to the CBD!

So, I am from Kansas City. We do some quality BBQ, and there are several «Kansas Style BBQ» sauces and dishes on the menu here. And really, it should be «Kansas City Style BBQ». Kansas (the state) isn’t special on the BBQ scene… Kansas City (the city, in Missouri) is. But, I digress. Doesn’t really matter, just made me chuckle.
Anyways, I had to try this place for one big reason — Zee Man. It says it’s inspired by Oklahoma Joes, often rated as the best BBQ place in Kansas City and even the USA. I live 3 minutes from one of the three Oklahoma Joes locations. They have a sandwich called the Z Man, with beef brisket, smoked provolone cheese, and onion rings. So when I saw that Big Boy had the same thing (albeit with straws instead of rings), I had to try it. I mean… I had to.
I showed up early on a Friday since I hadn’t had breakfast, and was the first customer of the day. The location, with both indoor and outdoor seating, was large, clean, bright. It was nice. The staff were very friendly.
So, I got the Zee Man ($ 12.90) and paid the $ 6.00 extra for chips and a drink. The sandwich took about 7 minutes to come out, which was fine. I was struck by how similar it did look to the Z Man that I am used to in Kansas City. And the taste? Quite delicious! Again, quite close. The beef was good, the sauce was good, and it all came together in to a surprisingly tasty treat. The chips were also quite good and seasoned well.
Definitely someplace I had to try and I was glad that I did! It’s not quite Kansas City BBQ, but it’s a darn good option in Melbourne!

Holy crap this place has amazing BBQ!
If you’re a homesick American, this is your cure. You know it the second you walk in as you spy the paper towels on each table. There’s pulled pork, there’s brisket, and there’s even sandwiches with TWO meats. You can now die happy.
The tables also have a smattering of sauces, including Kansas BBQ, Carolina vinegar, and a spicy BBQ sauce. I could live on the Kansas BBQ sauce.
The sandwiches are all around $ 10 – 12, and with a combo (side and drink) you won’t even get close to topping $ 20. Besides, if you’ve got a sweet tooth then there’s a peanut butter cream pie to look forward to for dessert!